Prospective Randomized Trial of Narcotic vs Non-Narcotic Pain Modulation Following a Labrum Repair

The opioid crisis has illuminated the risks of opioid use for pain management, with renewed interest in reducing opioid consumption after common orthopedic procedures. Anti-inflammatory medication is an important component of multimodal pain management for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. Several relevant studies have inquired about the use of opioid consumption in the management of total knee arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, total shoulder arthroplasty as well as arthroscopic shoulder surgeries. There is currently a gap in the literature, however, regarding the use of nerve blocks preoperatively in conjunction with nonopioid pharmacology postoperatively for pain. The goal is to determine if this can reduce pain levels in patients who have undergone surgical management for shoulder labrum or SLAP lesions. Hopefully, the data we can extract will allow future physicians to decrease the number of opioids prescribed and reduce the risks of prolonging the opioid epidemic.

The United States is currently in an opioid crisis. This is a public health issue that not only is limited to the United States but is echoed by countries around the world. All physicians must be accountable for the continuation of the crisis but also must be cognizant of ways to end the issue. In 2011, the United States Food and Drug Administration reported that 50 million Americans were prescribed opioids which is close to a 100 percent increase in the amount prescribed in 2008. Similarly, during that same period, opioid overdose became the leading cause of accidental death in young adults; associated with a higher risk of postoperative death, and increased risk of falls and fractures in the elderly. Many ways have been discussed to reduce the prescription of opioids such as standardized opioid prescription protocols, limits on prescription size, and restrictions on opioid use for preoperative and nonsurgical patients. Another theater of opioid use that can be addressed is that of post-operative pain management. The contribution of the potential results of our research could greatly reduce and mitigate the number of opioids prescribed postoperatively if there is no significant difference between the groups.

This will be a prospective randomized trial. Patients will be randomly placed into either the control or experimental arm of the study. Every patient will receive Exparel as is the standard of care for this procedure.

There will be two groups in this study:

• Group 1: